


A Mother's Touch

by Stockholmsyndrom



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Child Abuse, F/M, Growing Up, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24352915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stockholmsyndrom/pseuds/Stockholmsyndrom
Summary: Two young women flee from their lives to save their children.Celine Mustang flees Xing, a country where her husband was killed and she is left with nothing but her little son to care for.Thereza Hawkeye flees from the husband she loves, because his neglect is endangering her baby girl.Both women end up in Chris Mustang’s care. And over the years, the children grow up.
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Comments: 29
Kudos: 85
Collections: Moms Made Fullmetal Week 2020





	1. Day One: Arrivals

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I wrote this for Mom's Made Fullmetal week 2020.
> 
> It's a little AU where both Roy and Riza's mothers are alive and there to shape their children. 
> 
> Special thanks goes to my wonderful spouse who originated the idea of Celine a long time ago. We have shaped her ever since, but he gave me the inspiration. Also thank you for cheering me on and helping me through plot holes and lack of motivation. I love you.

Roy Mustang is 2 years old when he arrives at Madame Christmas' bar. His mother had come all the way from Xing, after her husband had been killed. He had told her to flee and find sanctuary at the bar of his sister Chris.  
The moment the dark wood door opens to reveal a tall, statuesque woman with pearls around her neck and a cigarette in hand, Celine Mustang nearly collapses into her sister-in-law's arms. 

Roy's next couple of years are shaped by him being the sole center of attention in the house. All the girls in the bar take to this cute little boy like a duck to swimming. He is surrounded by pretty ladies who swoon at the very sight of his chubby little cheeks and love nothing more than to play with the tuft of silky hair on his head. 

The madame of the house warms up to him quite fast, and whenever young Celine is too exhausted to take care of her son after hours of working, she would take the toddler on her lap, reading with him from his picture book until he falls fast asleep. He'd wake up sometimes, in the middle of the night, tucked into his mother's warm embrace, always too sleepy to wonder how he got there.

Riza Hawkeye is approximately 9 months old when she arrives in Madame Christmas bar. She is still suffering from a very serious case of pneumonia, and her mother Thereza isn't doing much better. 

The drafty wet Hawkeye house is what led mother and daughter to contract the disease. With Berthold's days being occupied by his endless research, it had fallen on young Thereza to find her way through keeping up the house for the very first time. And one fateful trip to the market in the rain all the way into the little village was all it took to knock the overworked young mother off her feet. 

She hadn't even been able to care for her little baby girl anymore, she was simply too exhausted from fighting the sickness. 

One day she had woken up from her fever dreams, only to find a malnourished, cold, and very feverish crying infant, forgotten in her crib while the father brooded mercilessly over his big tomes. 

It was then that Thereza wrapped herself and little Elizabeth up in her thickest coats and fled to the train station. She couldn't return to her parents' house in East City. She had broken those ties when she had run away with her teacher against all her father's wishes for her future. 

So she had come to Central City instead, where the best doctors of the country were supposed to have their practices.  
But a visit to a world renowned doctor wasn't cheap and Thereza had only so little money. After the price for the medicaments was paid, she was left with only spare change. 

The kind elderly gentleman behind the apothecary's desk had given her an address for a house for ladies in trouble.  
And that is how she ends up on Christmas's doorstep, her baby bundled up in her coat to shield her from the pouring rain. 

Chris takes one look at the two shivering children in front of her and sighs.  
"I guess this is another one then." 

Celine is just about finished brushing Roy's hair and tucking the boy into bed when she hears aunt Chris calling for her.  
She had taken to call her aunt Chris instead of "Madame Christmas" the way a wife refers to her husband as "your father" when a child is involved, instead of using his name. Chris had never commented on it, so Celine had never bothered to change it. Although Chris was her late husband's sister, she was a good portion older than her brother. She always carried an aura of authority with her, making it hard to see her as anything of an equal rank. 

With a smile on her lips, she placed a kiss on her little boy's forehead and gently brushed her fingers over his cheek.  
"Sweet dreams, my love" she whispered in Xingese and quietly rose from her spot next to his bed. 

She walks down the stairs with an unmatched elegance, as if gliding down, her feet barely making a sound on the squeaky wooden floors. 

"Get this one into a hot bath and get her some milk. I will do the same thing with the mother." 

Celine blinks down at the pink infant that Chris all but threw at her, the child was hot and very light, barely a feather in her arms. It was only the wet coat around her that gave her any kind of weight. She looked over to the mother, a pale blond girl of maybe 17. She looked barely conscious but nodded along to the things Chris said to her. 

Celine, just shy of her 20th birthday, knew what it did to a woman to bear a child at such a young age. And from the looks of it this girl also would end up caring for her baby alone. 

Carefully she ascended the stairs to bring thi child into one of the wash rooms. A nice warm bath would soothe her, and the hot steam in the room would be a blessing to her tortured lungs.  
She gently placed the baby girl into the water, securing her head and body in her arms, watching as she started to relax, her expression becoming more serene. 

No, she corrected herself, this baby girl wouldn't have to be brought up alone. She would be welcomed into this family, along with her mother. Just as she and Roy had been.


	2. Day Two, Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Standing on your own two feet is not an easy Thing to do at the drop of a hat. But Thereza is willing to learn for her daughter's sake.

Thereza lets out a loud curse as she rushes back to the pot. The hot water is overflowing on all sides, threatening to extinguish the flames. She grabs at the handles with her bare hands, only to shriek and let the hot pot fall back onto the stove with loud clattering. 

Riza is sitting in her wooden high chair and promptly starts crying. 

"Oh curse you, potatoes! Not again," she sighs and fumbles for a towel. She manages to move the pot from the hot plate and then walks over to the sink, turning on the water and letting its cool stream calm her angry red fingers. 

"I am afraid that is going to leave blisters," Celine says as she walks into the kitchen, with Roy following behind his mother's steps like a little puppy. 

He holds onto the hem of her robe and casts an accusatory glance upwards as Celine scoops up the upset infant and hugs her close, soothing her with sweet whispers and the tune of a Xingese lullaby. 

Thereza sometimes envies the unparalleled and easy poise he other woman possesses. In her presence she feels like she is nothing more than a bumbling teenage girl, silly and good for nothing. She used to be a respectable lady (or at least on the way of becoming one). She used to dance for hours under the glittering lights at lavish balls and have young gentlemen trip over themselves to compliment her. 

And now she couldn't even do the work of a simple kitchen maid. 

"I swear I was just looking away for ten seconds to get Riza her dinner," Thereza sighs in defeat. 

She watches Celine bounce her daughter gently on her hip before settling her back in her high chair and procuring a puffed rice cake from her pocket. 

The silk of her long robes swishes gently with every step she takes. Careful hands take her bruised fingers and Celine blows over the reddened digits. 

"I know… You don't want to know how many times I burnt the rice when my grandmother taught me. I may have been a child then. But you're just starting to learn. Give yourself time. Baby steps."

She smiles down at her son who had slowly crept closer and went to reach for the hem of her robe again. Before he could bunch up the fabric in his little hands, Celine grabbed him underneath the arms and pulled him up. 

Immediately Roy splayed out his arms, giggling and making cooing noises as he soared through the air like a mighty phoenix. 

Celine twirled around with him for a few moments before she settled him on her hip and offered him a rice cake as well. 

Thereza couldn't help but smile at the way he dug into the crunchy treat, stuffing his cheeks without abandon. 

"This one didn't learn to walk in a day after all. And he still won't speak a lot." 

Thereza looked into Roy's large almond shaped eyes. They seemed to be looking straight into her soul. He had the same wisdom and determination that Berthold had held in a single gaze. 

"Maybe he is just shy. Or he prefers to read…" 

Thereza tries to crush all thoughts of her husband on the spot. It hurt to think about Berthold Hawkeye. She had loved him fiercely, she still did. But he was a scholar, not a nurturing father. Her eyes wandered to the table where her daughter was happily squashing the rice cracker on the hard surface of her high chair and happily giggling as she licked the crumbs off her fingers. 

It was better this way. Berthold didn't like noise. He certainly wouldn't appreciate her infectious laughter ringing through the house as he tried to concentrate. He hadn't cared for her wailing and her screams as she was gravely ill. Why would he tolerate her glee? 

Over the next weeks and months Thereza started to learn everything she needed to make it on her own. She learned how to cook, how to clean, how to mend her own clothes and how to teach herself with the help of others. She learned how to rely on herself for strength and how to accept the help of her peers. And although Madame Christmas and the other girls of the bar taught her most of these things, it was her own daughter that taught her the most important lesson.

She learned how to love and be loved.


	3. Day Three, An Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy doesn't like sharing...

"Roy, what have you done now?" 

Celine was more than exasperated. She had just come downstairs from a 4 hour tattoo session, her customer finally walking out happily with a brand new tiger over her left shoulder. The old burn marks her husband had left on her were nearly invisible now. 

She arrived on the scene to see a crying Riza, bawling her eyes out at 5 years of age. Her cheeks are still chubby, her pale blonde hair has a silver sheen in certain kinds of light and her amber eyes catch the light ever so slightly and turn into a glowing red colour. 

"It's not my fault!" he immediately cries as he catches sight of his mother. 

Somehow Celine doubts it, but she will investigate the case anyway. But only after she has calmed down the crying little girl.

“Where is Thereza?” she asks Roy as she strokes over the soft hair that was slightly curling around Riza’s shoulders. There is no denying that the face her son makes is in response to that. He doesn’t like sharing his mother’s attention. Celine will have to have another talk with him about that.

“Auntie Chris wanted to see her, so she left me with the baby.”

Celine suppresses the urge to roll her eyes. Roy has never stopped referring to Riza as “the baby”. She wonders if he will get tired of being so stubborn anytime soon.

“And why is Riza crying?”

She looks at Roy expectantly. The boy tries to avoid her gaze, clearly aware that he did something wrong.

“I am waiting.”

“She was playing with the car all wrong!”

Celine raised an eyebrow as understanding dawned on her. So Roy hadn’t liked the way Riza had operated the toy car and had confiscated it, resulting in her crying.

“What did we say about taking away other’s toys?”

“But it’s my car too!”

“Yes, but it was Riza’s turn to play with it.”

Roy’s lower lip begins to tremble. His face grows red from frustration as he shoves the tin toy over the kitchen floor.

“Fine, then she can have it! I don’t want the stupid car anymore!”

Before Celine can utter another word he stomps out of the kitchen, brushing past a very confused Thereza, and up the stairs to his room. Celine doesn’t miss the loud bang his door makes as he slams it shut behind him.

She gives the other woman an exasperated look as she puts the car back into Riza’s grabby hands.

“I guess we will have to have another talk,” Celine said and placed Riza back into her mother’s arms to go after her son.

“I’m sorry.”

Thereza stopped her soft playing of the piano. Having come from a noble house with classical training meant that she could at least entertain the girls and sometimes the finer guests with her playing. She enjoyed it a lot. Even though this slow morning noone was awake yet to listen to her play, she had sat down on the bench and began to quietly stroke the keys with a soft melody.  
Riza was fast asleep in her bed, as were the other girls, so the young mother had tried to make as little noise as possible.

When young Roy Mustang walked up to her, she gave him a warm smile.

“It is not me you have to apologize to,” she reminded him gently.

Roy nodded.

“Yeah, but Riza is still asleep…”

Thereza looked at the lost boy, so insecure and shy. It was hard not to fall for that charming sweet face of his. She knew he would grow up handsome. Sooner or later his face and charms would make the girls swoon. But for now his still rounded face and his large dark eyes made her mother’s heart melt. 

She noted his longing gaze at her fingers and suddenly she had an idea.

“Come here,” she said and patted the space next to her on the bench. “Have you ever played?”

Slowly, the boy approached her.

“Just for fun…”

Thereza nodded. He probably had hammered onto the keys, looking to see what sounds it would make, maybe even a simple melody. But he hadn’t had any training. She had started to teach Riza simple scales and with her help she could already play a children’s song. So Thereza knew she could teach.

“Alright. First of, let’s start with your pose….”

Teaching Roy the piano might have been the best idea she had concerning the boy. He was eager to learn and had fun with even the most menial of exercises, constantly striving to become better.

More often than not, she would teach both children at the same time. Riza watched Roy with fascination in her eyes, constantly chasing after him in every way. She had always been enthralled with the older child, running after him like a little chicken, much to his annoyance.

But now that admiration was focused into a creative task. Roy could show her how to place her fingers for the more difficult chords. He finally started to warm up to er, his newly found position as the more expert player clearly giving him the confidence he needed.

“They are really good, aren’t they?” Celine remarked one day, as she listened to their rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. 

Thereza agreed and smiled as they started You Are My Sunshine. Even though Riza was almost half Roy's age they played very well, working together to hit all the right keys and keeping the rhythm up. She had noted that Riza had started to concentrate more and was willing to practice longer and more often since Roy had joined their lessons. 

Looking at them huddled together on the piano bench, her shoulder and his arm brushing together, she couldn't help but wonder if there would finally be peace between them.


	4. Day Four,  Responsible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the kids grow up more and more, questions beg for answers.

Thereza allows herself a small private smile as she watches her daughter bend over the kitchen table, deeply concentrated on algebra. Riza had grown so much since she came here. Her tiny little baby had grown into a strong girl. At ten years of age Riza was reading books far beyond her years. Ever since she had learned her alphabet, little Riza had devoured all the children's books that the house contained. 

And when those were all read and done with, she had started to pick up Roy's old books. 

Before anyone knew what was happening, the two children had formed a secret book club, Roy giving Riza all the reading material she craved. 

Thereza was glad to see her daughter learn so much through the written word. She loved anything that was set in the past, be it fairy tales, historical novels or even history books. She could get lost between the pages of a book forever, nothing would ever bring her out of her concentration. 

It was fascinating to watch and Thereza couldn't be prouder. But sometimes she couldn't help but notice how much little Riza's concentrated scrunched up face represented that of her father's. 

How he had spent hours if not days crouched over his research, the exact same intense concentration around him that was now surrounding his daughter. 

Sometimes Thereza wondered whether she had done the right thing in ripping Riza away from him. She had loved the man so fiercely and she missed him every day. There was not a day that went by without her imagining what could have been. 

She loved imagining herself back in his arms, little Riza playing by the fireplace and showing her father just how bright he was. Oh, how Berthold would be impressed with his daughter's bright mind! And he would kiss the crown of her golden head when she would give him her little written stories, and he would compliment her in her writing style and her script. 

Thereza would prepare dinner with the help of her daughter and there would be warm laughter filling the house. 

Sometimes it was hard for Thereza to let go of those dreams. She had after all, fallen in love with the quiet brooding man when she was almost still a child herself, had risked everything just so that she could be with him. She had left her family and the life that she knew for the promise of a new life, where she could be happy forever. 

And now she had given all of that up. Sometimes she almost regretted leaving him. Sometimes she wonders if he is still waiting for her, wishing he could get her back and hold her and their daughter in his arms again. 

That all changes shortly after Riza turns thirteen. Her and Roy had gone on a little trip with his other friends Maes and Jean.  
They took the car and had wanted to enjoy nature, go fishing and generally have a good time. 

Everyone had noticed the way Roy had smuggled a small keg of beer from the bar, but they all chose to ignore it. He was 17 and very responsible for his age. He wouldn't do anything stupid. She trusted him with Riza's well being, especially since she had always known how to defend herself. And ever since she had started her teens she had matured a lot, often times keeping the cooler head between the two of them and calling out Roy's more foolish ideas. 

So when it was Sunday evening and Roy and Riza hadn't come back as scheduled, everyone was worried. The children had left on Friday afternoon, straight after school had ended. And now they were nowhere to be found. 

On Tuesday evening, Celine takes the train to the campsite the children had gone to. It is late in the night when the phone starts ringing. 

"Riza went to see her father. She should have come here and met with Roy before coming back home. She hasn't shown up yet."

Celine's voice over the phone is stony and cold, raised higher in volume to sound over the train in the background. Although there is a busy hustle of the train station heard over the line, Thereza can hear Roy's distressed muttering. He must have been crying, but Celine remained stoic. 

She sends Roy home with the next train and takes the car to the little town in the east where Berthold Hawkeye's house slowly falls victim to the passing of time. 

Roy arrives on Wednesday with his head hanging low and his eyes in shadows. He falls to his knees at Thereza's feet. Afterwards he goes straight up to his room and doesn't come out again. 

Thereza is crying, cursing herself for not destroying the old letters she had sent from his house, the ones to her family that came back unopened and with the photographs of her new family still inside. 

On Thursday morning, the phone rings again. 

"He is dead. I'm bringing her home."

Celine won't say much more. She also doesn't call Riza to the phone. She tells her that they will be home soon and hangs up. 

The car pulls up to the bar at three in the morning. 

Riza is huddled in an old blanket, Thereza recognizes it from her days in his house, her heart full of hope and her little baby soon to be due. 

She looks hollow, and as Thereza wraps her arms around her narrow little shoulders, she flinches away. 

Thereza gently places a hand on her daughter's golden head and vows to herself that she would never let anyone hurt her ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. I am sorry for this downer, but I am always fascinated and horrorfied by that darned tattoo, and I feel like I wanted to explore that for myself... It might get even worse tomorrow.... I apologize!


	5. Day Five, Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celine has to assess the damages done to both children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! This chapter goes into a little more detail than the last. I tried to keep it as clean as possible, but there are some descriptions of what happened in the Hawkeye house... So be warned.

Celine finally emerges from Riza's room with a grim face. Thereza holds her breath, begging the other woman to give her some good news. 

"He tattooed her whole back, and although his work is accurate it's definitely the work of an amateur. It will be a bitch to heal." 

Celine almost spit out the words. It would have been alright, Madeline had given the girl a strong tonic that eased her pain and made her sleepy. 

The lines and symbols on Riza's back were beautiful, but they were inked in too deep and with too much force. She must have been struggling for a while and then he had finally snapped and tied her down. The marks on her skin were telling enough. 

When Celine had arrived on the Hawkeye estate, she had found a quiet house, eerie and hollow.   
She had found him first, cold and lifeless in his study, a blissful smile on his face and his broken eyes staring off into the distance. 

She had searched through the dark house in panic, calling out Riza's name and preparing for the worst, only to find the girl huddled up in a dark alcove in the kitchen. A bloody camisole clinging to her form. She had been completely out of it, the infected wounds on her back not allowing her a clear mind. 

Apparently Berthold Hawkeye's life's work was finished. 

And his child had paid the price. Celine had half a mind to throw a match at the mess behind her and let it all burn down. But getting the girl home and healed was more important. 

Thereza had been a mess when Celine arrived with the barely conscious child, and she could understand it. She had taken a good look at the “work” Berthold had done. Whatever he had etched into her skin must have been very important, potentially dangerous.

But after she had assessed the damage that the man had done to his child, Celine came to the conclusion that the wounds would have to heal first, before she could think about covering up or changing the design.

She nodded to Thereza, who immediately pushed through the door to see her daughter.

Celine found her son sitting in his room, nursing a small tumbler of whisky and staring at the wall.

“Does Chris know that you are stealing the supplies?”

“She poured it.”

Celine sighs. For all of a strong authority Chris can be, she always had a soft spot for Roy. So sneaking him a glass of strong liquor he definitely was still too young for was not unusual for her. Especially since Roy was in a bad place now.

And Celine knew that her boy was in the worst place possible right now. She crossed the room silently and sat down next to him on the bed. Without so much as looking at him she silently offered him her hand, gently entwining her fingers with his.

They sat there in silence for what felt like hours. Celine was providing her son with the silent comfort that she knew he needed so desperately right now. 

Their silence was ruptured by a small sob. She almost wasn’t sure if she had really heard something or if it was just her imagination. But then came another one, a little clearer this time. And another.

Finally Roy sunk against her, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder, as he cried.

Celine took the glass out of his hands and gently placed it on his nightstand.

“I let her go… It’s my fault… she asked me to cover for her… and I let her go!”

He sobbed, his voice nearly breaking.

It hurt to see him like this. Blaming himself what that man had done to his own flesh and blood.

Celine thought that Berthold Hawkeye had been lucky. If he hadn’t been dead when she arrived, she wouldn’t have shown him any mercy. Too great was the damage he had caused, too horrible was the crime against his daughter.

That poor girl, who only wanted to meet her father had been met by a monster instead. An irrational, delusional, uncontrollable monster that had attacked her on sight. She wondered how many words he had actually spoken to her before he had started carving.

By the looks of his work and the state of her wounds it had taken him a couple of days. It must have been hours of agony for her. And the betrayal and horror she must have felt.

Celine placed her hand on Roy’s head and stroked over it with gentle fingers.

“It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known. Neither could she. No one could have known that he would do something so horrible… not even Thereza. All you did was covering for a friend… the way we do in this house. You could not have seen this coming.”

“But-”

“Hey.” She took his face between her fingers. “If you hadn’t helped her, she would have found another time. You know her, she is pig-headed. And this time she wouldn’t have told anyone. Nobody would have known where she was. That would have been much worse.”

Roy looked at her with tear-swollen eyes. He seemed to slowly process what she was saying and gave her a little nod.

“Thank you mom…”

With that he went back to silently crying in his mother’s arms.


	6. Day Six, Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All children eventually graduate from school. It's part of growing up after all.

Roy Mustang graduates high school on a sunny Friday in late spring. The wind brings the perfume of flowers blooming everywhere. Roy looks dashing in his suit and Celine couldn't be prouder. He is graduating with honours. 

The only thing she is worried about are his plans for the future. He had enlisted into the military academy and wanted to become a state Alchemist. She didn't want to think about what that meant and how dangerous it would be. She knew he was an idealist who wanted to change the world for the better and help his country and its people. 

But she also knew how dangerous it was. Not even just the fighting. She had seen what the search for the truth could do to a man. 

Berthold Hawkeye had not made for a pretty sight. 

Those are all thoughts Celine tries to push away. She wants to be proud of her son and be happy for him. Making herself crazy and worrying about all possible what ifs will not help her. There is nothing more she can do to protect her child other than to be there for him and support the decisions he makes. Even if she might not like some of them. 

"They grow up so fast, right?" 

Thereza had come up behind her, a wistful smile on her face. Roy was surrounded by his sisters right now, each girl finding warm words for him, congratulating him and wishing him the best for his way. 

Everyone except Riza. She sat at a table in the corner, playing with her fork, watching the group without actually trying to be part of it. 

Celine turns to Thereza and mirrors her smile. Little Riza had grown up too. 

"It feels like it was only yesterday, that he would hold to the hem of my dress and follow me around everywhere… And now he is all grown up. Look at his handsome face. I'm sure he will have girls swarming him soon." 

Thereza giggles slightly and Celine raises an eyebrow at her. 

"Oh they already are! You don't want to know how many little gifts and love letters Riza has been asked to give him from the girls at their school… Looks like they are just too shy to talk to him directly, so they approach her instead…" 

Thereza trails off, her gaze wandering to her child sitting at her table alone. 

"She doesn't enjoy doing that, huh?" 

Thereza smiles. 

"No. She hates it. She says that if a girl is serious about her feelings she should talk to the boy herself. Everything else is just cowardly. And you know her. She hates cowards."

Celine chuckles. Yes. Riza held a strong set of values and she didn't like cowardly people. She didn't like the hypocrisy of it all. And she probably didn't like having to play messenger for them.

Growing up she had always been very attached to Roy, so she probably wanted the best for him. And girls that couldn't even muster the strength to approach him directly weren't good enough in her eyes. 

Sometimes she wondered if there was more to this. Riza had always been very fond of Roy. She had tried to always be close to him, following him around and wanting to play with him all the time. And when he hadn't wanted to spend his time with the much younger girl, she had always taken it hard. But eventually Roy had always come around and had played with her in the end. 

Roy looks at her and gives her a warm smile. Then his gaze wanders over to where Riza is sitting. A puzzled look crosses his face and Celine shakes her head. Boys can be so clueless sometimes. 

She watched as he walks over to her, approaching her like one would an injured animal. She looks up in surprise, and he gives her a sheepish smile. 

Celine looks over at Thereza and sees the grin on her face. 

"Maybe they aren't so clueless after all…" she says with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. 

They can't hear what the children are talking about, but all of the sudden Roy rips off a button of his uniform and gives it to her. 

The blush on Riza's cheeks is quite becoming on her. She accepts it. 

Celine will tell Thereza the meaning of this gesture in time. The other woman doesn't know about this old Xingese tradition. She will explain to her about how a boy giving the girl he likes the button of his school uniform is a promise for the future. 

Thereza will squeal and hug her tight at that revelation and share with her all the little talks she had with Riza over the years. She will tell her how it had slowly dawned on her that Riza might have a crush on Roy. And how she had wished that the two of them would be given a chance. They both agreed that in time Riza would make a beautiful wife for the young soldier. 

All of their plans for the future are shattered however, when Riza tells them at her own graduation what she will do with her life. 

"I signed up for the military academy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done! This one is a little bit lighter after that angst fest last time. I hope you can forgive me.  
> I wanted it to feel a little bittersweet, with the ending leading into what we know will await our innocent little kids.   
> I'm sure that Riza gave Roy the secrets to flame alchemy somewhere in between, it all happened off camera. Maybe that could be another story one day, who knows?


	7. Day Seven, Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things never change.

Thereza smiles as she pours the tea. After a long time not seeing her daughter she can finally wrap her in her arms again. Right now Celine is talking to her in the still closed down bar, serving sweets and salty snacks. 

The great fire that destroyed their old location is long in the past, years even. They all went separate ways for a while, but eventually Madame Christmas had reopened in a new, even grander location in Central City. 

"I hope you still like chamomile?," she asks as she places the tray in front of the young woman. 

Riza smiles, the small blush on her cheeks making her face glow. Thereza couldn't be happier for her daughter. 

"Yes mother. Thank you."

A hand flies to the slightly rounded midriff and gives the sensitive skin beneath the uniform a gentle caress. 

Thereza smiles. 

"Have you picked out a name yet?" 

Riza sighs, her eyes glazing over ever so gently. She looks down, her whisky eyes falling on her own stomach as she strokes over it absent-mindedly. 

"Roy thinks that Victor is a good choice… Or Victoria if it's a girl." 

Both Celine and Thereza look at each other and smile at that. Of course Roy would pick out a heavy name like that. And he is right in it. This child is definitely a victory for the parents. 

After all of those years fighting and all the hardship they had to endure they finally get to be happy. Riza looks more than blessed, every time she gazes down at her belly she radiates happiness. The heat of Ishval had tinted her cheeks a little more bronze and it had bleached her hair even more. But nevertheless it had helped create something both Roy and Riza had denied themselves so vehemently for years. 

"Don't make it sound like you don't like it!" 

The young General in question enters the kitchen, finally changed into something more comfortable than his uniform. He still looks very dashing in a shirt and vest. Celine is aware of that. On the fast track to become Führer that definitely won't hurt his cause. 

Riza chuckles and pushes an envelope into her mother's hands. 

"Grandfather wrote again. He suggests another dinner together. But this time without the wine of course…" 

Her hand flies to her stomach again as she speaks. 

Thereza chuckles at the way Roy's eyes cross over and he groans. He doesn't seem to be too fond of family dinners with the current Führer, which is ironic seeing that he is practically his protégé. And ever since Riza had announced her pregnancy to him, Grumman had taken Roy under his wing without the games and trickery. The prospect of his only granddaughter finally starting her own family with a man he respected both privately and professionally lead him to become more serious. That didn't mean that he wouldn't torture the man in Riza's life in private however, much to Roy's chagrin. 

"I'm telling you, one of these days I will bring Fullmetal just to see him get into a fight with the old geezer…" 

Riza shakes her head with a fond smile tugging on her lips. 

"I think Edward might be a little too busy, seeing that child number three just arrived… I brought pictures of course. He will have to pause his travels for a while though, I hear Winry wants to expand her shop in Rush Valley…" 

"You never disappoint with your intel on literally everyone," Roy presses a kiss onto the top of his wife's head. 

For a split second Celine is transported back to a more innocent time. Where an awkward teenage Roy would be very protective over the smaller girl laying his hands on her slim shoulders and kissing the crown of her head. Where little Riza would look up at him adoringly and follow his every footstep just to get his attention. 

They were so young and innocent back then, but so happy. 

Now that they had gone through all the hardships one could imagine, they had lost a lot of that innocence. But they had gotten stronger and came out victorious in the end. They had learned to be happy in spite of the tragedies that came their way. They had carved their way through the stone cold earth and were working hard not only for their own happiness, but also that of so many others. 

"And you never disappoint with the way you want to use Edward's short temper to piss of people that annoy you…" 

Roy gives her a sheepish smile and ducks out of the conversation by going back to the small cupboard that he knows holds her favourite cookies. 

Thereza and Celine share a knowing look and decide that some things never change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand this is it! That was a lot of fun, and I would pay good money to see those family dinners, especially if Ed is a guest...


End file.
